The MIT Shakespeare Ensemble proudly presents

Measure for Measure

Directed by Tom Jaeger and Kristin Wold

Playing Oct. 29, 30, 31 and
Nov. 1, 5, 6, and 7 in
MIT's Kresge Little Theatre

Tickets

Measure for Measure will be playing October 29, 30, and 31 at 8 pm, November 1 at 2 pm, and November 5, 6, and 7 at 8 pm in Kresge Little Theatre. Admission is $6 for MIT/Wellesley students and $8 for the general public. For reservations, or if you have questions about purchasing tickets, please call (617) 253-2903 or email ensemble-tickets@mit.edu.

Director's Note

During our rehearsal process for Measure for Measure, I took a walk along the beach on some island. A storm front was moving in from the northwest, and steely grey and black clouds had nearly engulfed the entire sky. They were ominous but beautifully dramatic. To the south, an arc of clear sky remained - very bright, very light - but quickly disappearing. I hurried towards this patch of open sky, thinking I might be able to get to it before it vanished. I soon realized, however, that no matter how fast I went, this storm was going to outrun and overtake me. Though I didn't feel I was in any real danger (other than getting soaked), I began to panic. The weight, pressure, and darkness of the clouds were bearing down upon me. Deciding to head back, I turned and went north, and was surprised to find that I instantly felt better. I was headed directly into the storm, facing it, daring to look it straight in the eye! No matter how violent it got, I was tackling it head-on. I was filled with a sense of courage, strength, and heroic power!

Measure for Measure starts at this point of facing the storm. Vienna has become a place where "corruption boils and bubbles/ Til it o'er-runs the stew." Prostitution, lechery, abuse of power, and laws that have been let slip abound. Shakespeare gives us a world ranging from the 'highest' government officials to the 'lowest' pimps, madames, and prostitutes. No one is a saint, no one a devil. All are remarkably human, full of virtue and vice. Immorality on all levels is exposed, and the characters are left in the final scene of the play to decide "Shall I punish? Shall I forgive? Will I forgive the one who has wronged me? Will I forgive myself?"

--Kristin Wold

Cast

Crew

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